Lula: Embattled working-class hero

An ex-metalworker who became one of Brazil's most popular presidents, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is now putting his increasingly threatened legacy on the line for his embattled successor.

Lula, as he is known to all Brazil, left office in 2011 as a blue-collar hero who presided over a watershed boom and helped lift tens of millions of people from poverty.

Now, his image tarnished by corruption charges, he is swooping back into active politics to help his embattled protegee Dilma Rousseff face an impeachment battle, mass protests and the breakdown of her coalition.